File management apparatus and image display apparatus

ABSTRACT

A file management apparatus includes the following elements: a representative image storage device storing representative image data of each of a plurality of content files in association with a creation time of the content file; a rendering unit rendering the representative image data at a position corresponding to the creation time with a calendar continuous over days, months, and years serving as a background; a display state maintaining unit maintaining, as a display state, a time-axis range of the calendar being displayed and a position thereof; an operation receiving unit receiving a change operation to change the display state, the change operation commonly being a scrolling operation in a time-series direction in any time-axis range; and a controller controlling, in response to the change operation, the rendering means to render the representative image data on the calendar on the basis of the display state.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention contains subject matter related to Japanese PatentApplication JP 2005-377665 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Dec.28, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to file management apparatuses, and moreparticularly relates to a file management apparatus for managing contentfiles on a calendar, an image display apparatus for playing anddisplaying the content files, a processing method therefor, and aprogram for allowing a computer to execute the method.

2. Description of the Related Art

As digital still cameras and digital video cameras become more widelyused, an increasing number of users are creating content files (stillimage files, moving image files, audio files, etc.). It is difficult forthe users to remember all the content files, and it is likely that thecontent files remain unorganized.

To solve this problem, known apparatuses are available for managingcontent files by displaying their representative images on a calendar onthe basis of their creation time, namely, the time, day, month, and yearon which the content files are created. For example, an informationprocessing apparatus for displaying a list of captured image filesaccording to the capturing date or time is proposed in JapaneseUnexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-33711 (FIG. 31).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Since representative images are displayed on a calendar in the relatedart described above, a browsing method of recognizing in advance imagescreated on a specific date and purposefully searching for a target imagefully satisfies its purpose.

However, the aforementioned related art is not necessarily suitable fora browsing method of browsing and enjoying various past content fileswithout setting a specific date. That is, even though the calendar,which is a display system with time as an important concept, is adoptedin the related art, the concept of the directivity of time is notrepresented as a consistent user interface on a display screendisplaying a time-axis range expressed in units of days, months, oryears. It is thus difficult for a user to recognize the time axis fromthe user interface and, as a result, it is difficult for the user tointuitively search the reprehensive images or to browse therepresentative images as if taking a stroll.

In the related art, images displayed at a time are arranged in units ofdays. It is thus difficult for the user to collectively browse a groupof representative images captured over a plurality of days, as in a tripfor example.

It is desirable to provide a seamless user interface for displayingrepresentative images of content files on calendars with time-axisranges expressed in units of days, months, and years by unifyingtime-series directions of the calendars.

According to a first embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a file management apparatus including the following elements:representative image storage means for storing representative image dataof each of a plurality of content files in association with a creationtime of the content file; rendering means for rendering therepresentative image data at a position corresponding to the creationtime with a calendar continuous over days, months, and years serving asa background; display state maintaining means for maintaining, as adisplay state, a time-axis range of the calendar being displayed and aposition thereof; operation receiving means for receiving a changeoperation to change the display state, the change operation commonlybeing a scrolling operation in a time-series direction in any time-axisrange; and control means for controlling, in response to the changeoperation, the rendering means to render the representative image dataon the calendar on the basis of the display state. Accordingly, there isprovided a seamless file management apparatus that allows a user not torecognize the day, month, and year boundaries by displayingrepresentative image data on the calendar in which the time-seriesdirection is independent of the time-axis range.

According to the first embodiment, the time-axis range may be expressedin units of days, months, or years. That is, a year display screen, amonth display screen, or a day display screen may be displayed as adisplay screen displaying the calendar serving as the background ofrepresentative images.

According to the first embodiment, the rendering means may render animage indicating the units in accordance with the units of the time-axisrange. That is, the rendering means may render the year display screen,the month display screen, and the day display screen.

According to the first embodiment, the rendering means may render unitsother than a core unit as inactive in accordance with the units of thetime-axis range. The term “core unit” is a mainly displayed year in thecase of the year display screen, a mainly displayed month in the case ofthe month display screen, or a mainly displayed day in the case of theday display screen. The core unit can be specified as a unit (day,month, or year) with the largest display area among the units (days,months, or years). The phrase “render units other than a core unit asinactive” means, for example, that the other units are grayed out. Inthis case, the other units are displayed using a color lighter than thatof the core unit. Alternatively, when the core unit is displayed incolor, the other units may be displayed in monochrome. Alternatively,when the other units may be displayed in a lower contrast. That is, thephrase “render units other than a core unit as inactive” includes thecases where the other units are displayed so that the other units arenot striking to the eye.

According to the first embodiment, the rendering means may renderinformation about the core unit when the calendar crosses a boundary ofthe units of the time-axis range during the scrolling operation.Accordingly, a newly displayed position can be clearly indicated whenthe calendar, which is assumed to be continuous over the units of thetime-axis range, crosses the boundary of the units of the time-axisrange.

According to the first embodiment, in the case where the time-axis rangeis expressed in units of months, when a day on the calendar is selected,the control means may switch the time-axis range so that the time-axisrange is expressed in units of days. When the creation time belongs tothe selected day, the rendering means may render an image indicating theselected day. When the creation time does not belong to the selectedday, the rendering means may render an image indicating a closest futureday to which the creation time belongs. Accordingly, a day on which acontent file is created is displayed with a higher priority.

According to the first embodiment, when the time-axis range is expressedin units of days, the rendering means may render the calendar and therepresentative image data only for a day to which the creation timebelongs. Accordingly, a redundant blank area may be omitted.

According to the first embodiment, when the time-axis range is expressedin units of days, the rendering means may render an image indicating abreak point between groups, each group serving as a range of continuousdays to which the creation times belong. Accordingly, content filesbelonging to a specific event can be collectively managed on thecalendar continuous over days.

According to the first embodiment, when the time-axis range is expressedin units of days, the rendering means may render an image to bedisplayed from the content file corresponding to the representativeimage data selected on the calendar. Accordingly, the contents of eachcontent file can be recognized from the day display screen. In thiscase, the rendering means may render, together with the rendered image,representative image data belonging to a group serving as a range ofcontinuous days to which the creation times belong. Accordingly, ease ofaccessibility to content files belonging to a specific event can beenhanced.

According to the first embodiment, the operation receiving means mayreceive a movement operation to move a cursor. The rendering means mayrender the cursor in accordance with the movement operation, and, whenthe cursor is moved over one of the units of the time-axis range, therendering means may render information about the unit. This realizes aso-called “tool tip” serving as means for enabling the user to recognizea distribution of creation days, months, and years of content filesusing a simple operation.

According to the first embodiment, when the operation receiving means isa mouse receiving at least first and second clicking operations, thecontrol means may switch the time-axis range so that the time-axis rangeis expressed in smaller units in response to the first clickingoperation and may switch the time-axis range so that the time-axis rangeis expressed in larger units in response to the second clickingoperation. Accordingly, the transition of the screen from the yeardisplay screen to the day display screen can be realized by an intuitiveoperation.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided an image display apparatus including the following elements:representative image storage means for storing representative image dataof each of a plurality of content files in association with a creationtime of the content file; rendering means for rendering therepresentative image data at a position corresponding to the creationtime with a calendar continuous over days, months, and years serving asa background; display state maintaining means for maintaining, as adisplay state, a time-axis range of the calendar being displayed and aposition thereof; operation receiving means for receiving a changeoperation to change the display state, the change operation commonlybeing a scrolling operation in a time-series direction in any time-axisrange; control means for controlling, in response to the changeoperation, the rendering means to render the representative image dataon the calendar on the basis of the display state; and display means fordisplaying details rendered by the rendering means. Accordingly,representative image data can be displayed by a seamless operationwithout involving a user recognizing the day, month, and yearboundaries, with the calendar in which the time-series direction isindependent of the time-axis range serving as a background.

According to a third embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a file management method including the following steps or aprogram for allowing a computer to execute the following steps ofrendering representative image data of each of a plurality of contentfiles at a position corresponding to a creation time of the content filewith a calendar continuous over days, months, and years serving as abackground; receiving a change operation to change a time-axis range ofthe calendar being displayed and a position thereof, the changeoperation commonly being a scrolling operation in a time-seriesdirection in any time-axis range; switching, when the change operationis a first clicking operation, the time-axis range so that the time-axisrange is expressed at the position in smaller units; and switching, whenthe change operation is a second clicking operation, the time-axis rangeso that the time-axis range is expressed at the position in largerunits. Accordingly, there is provided a seamless file management methodthat allows a user not to recognize the day, month, and year boundariesby displaying representative image data on the calendar in which thetime-series direction is independent of the time-axis range.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, there is provideda seamless user interface for displaying representative images ofcontent files on calendars with time-axis ranges expressed in units ofdays, months, and years by unifying time-series directions of thecalendars.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a file management apparatus or an imagedisplay apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A to 2C are diagrams showing the outline of display modesaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing transitions of a display screenaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a year display screenaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a month display screenaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a day display screen accordingto the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a content display screenaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a displayed tool tip accordingto the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the displayed tool tipaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 10A to 10C are diagrams showing examples of displayed informationsuperimposed on the calendar according to the embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an exemplary process performed by the filemanagement apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an exemplary display switching processaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an exemplary scrolling process according tothe embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of an exemplary cursor moving process accordingto the embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail withreference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 a diagram showing an exemplary structure of a file managementapparatus or an image display apparatus according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. The file management apparatus includes a contentfile storage device 110, a thumbnail data storage device 120, a calendarinformation storage device 130, an obtaining unit 140, a rendering unit150, a display unit 160, an operation receiving unit 170, a controller180, and a display state maintaining unit 190.

The content file storage device 110 stores content files such as stillimage files, moving image files, and audio files. The content files haveattribute information, such as the creation time of the content files,as meta data. The creation time refers to all or part of the time, day,month, and year on which the content files are created.

The thumbnail data storage device 120 stores thumbnail data of thecontent files stored in the content file storage device 110 asrepresentative images. The thumbnail data includes a reduced image for astill image file and a reduced image of a frame at a certain time for amoving image file. Also, the thumbnail data includes a visual effectimage at a certain time for an audio file. When storing a piece ofthumbnail data, the thumbnail data storage device 120 preferablyassociates the piece of thumbnail data with the creation time of theassociated content file. In this way, the thumbnail data can be quicklyread using the creation time as an index key.

The calendar information storage device 130 stores information (calendarinformation) necessary for creating a calendar. Such informationcorresponds to information regarding the relationship between the dateand the day of the week, holidays, and leap years.

The obtaining unit 140 accesses the content file storage device 110, thethumbnail data storage device 120, and the calendar information storagedevice 130 to obtain the contents thereof.

The rendering unit 150 renders a calendar on the basis of the calendarinformation stored in the calendar information storage device 130 andrenders pieces of thumbnail data stored in the thumbnail data storagedevice 120 at associated positions on the calendar. In response to arequest to play a content file via the associated thumbnail data, therendering unit 150 renders an image to be displayed from the requestedcontent file.

The display unit 160 displays the details rendered by the rendering unit150. The display unit 160 can be realized by a display such as a liquidcrystal display (LCD). Alternatively, the display unit 160 may be atouch panel, for example, and integrated with the operation receivingunit 170.

The operation receiving unit 170 receives user operations. According tothe embodiment of the present invention, a pointing device such as amouse is assumed as the operation receiving unit 170. However, theoperation receiving unit 170 may be realized as a touch panel integratedwith the display unit 160.

In accordance with the operations received by the operation receivingunit 170, the controller 180 controls the obtaining unit 140 and therendering unit 150. That is, the controller 180 allows the obtainingunit 140 to obtain calendar information and pieces of thumbnail datanecessary to render the calendar and the associated images, and, on thebasis of the obtained information and data, allows the rendering unit150 to render the pieces of thumbnail data at associated positions onthe calendar. In response to a request to play a content file, thecontroller 180 allows the rendering unit 150 to render an image to bedisplayed from the requested content file.

The display state maintaining unit 190 maintains, as a display state, atime-axis range of the calendar being displayed and a position thereof.The time-axis range can be expressed in units of days, months, or years.The position may be expressed on the basis of the time, day, month, andyear. By maintaining the current display state in the display statemaintaining unit 190, in response to an instruction to change thetime-axis range, a changed time-axis range and the current position canbe detected, and the time-axis range can be switched while maintainingthe current position.

FIGS. 2A to 2C are diagrams showing the outline of display modesaccording to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A shows anexemplary display mode in the case where the time-axis range is selectedto be in units of years. A yearly calendar 511 (in units of years)serving as a background is continuous over years. Thus, a year displayscreen 510 displays part of the calendar 511.

In each of a plurality of months of the calendar 511, thumbnail data 514is rendered at a position corresponding to the creation month of theassociated content file. As a rendering mode of the thumbnail data 514,one piece of representative thumbnail data may be rendered per month.Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, each month may be displayed in acalendar format, and one piece of representative thumbnail data may berendered per day.

FIG. 2B shows an exemplary display mode in the case where the time-axisrange is selected to be in units of months. A monthly calendar 521 (inunits of months) serving as a background is continuous over months. Asin the year display screen 510, a month display screen 520 displays partof the calendar 521.

In each of a plurality of days of the calendar 521, thumbnail data 524is rendered at a position corresponding to the creation day of theassociated content file. As a rendering mode of the thumbnail data 524,one piece of representative thumbnail data may be rendered per day.Alternatively, a plurality of pieces of thumbnail data may be renderedin a tile format.

FIG. 2C shows an exemplary display mode in the case where the time-axisrange is selected to be in units of days. A daily calendar 531 (in unitsof days) serving as a background is continuous over days. As in the yeardisplay screen 510 and the month display screen 520, a day displayscreen 530 displays part of the calendar 531.

Each of a plurality of days of the calendar 531 is divided into timeslots in units of hours, and thumbnail data 534 is rendered at aposition corresponding to the creation time of the associated contentfile. Besides the thumbnail data 534, the creation time may additionallybe displayed. When a plurality of corresponding pieces of thumbnail dataexist in the same time slot, all the pieces of thumbnail data arerendered, for example, in the order of creation (time). Although thecase in which the time slots are expressed in units of hours has beendescribed, the time slots may be set in other appropriate units.

The display screens 510, 520, and 530 are common in terms of scrollingoperations in a time series direction. The display screens 510, 520, and530 are moved in a temporally older direction when moved upward relativeto the calendar by upward scrolling and are moved in a temporally newerdirection when moved downward relative to the calendar by downwardscrolling. This provides a user interface that can be used with the samescrolling operation on the screen in any time-axis range.

The display screens 510, 520, and 530 have, as the background, thecalendars continuous over the years, months, and days, respectively.Even when each calendar crosses the associated year, month, or dayboundary during scrolling, the displayed calendar is not interrupted.Therefore, in the case shown in FIG. 2A where the time-axis range isexpressed in units of months, it is not necessary to return to the yeardisplay screen 510 when moving from displaying a certain month toanother month. It is also unnecessary to literally press a button fordisplaying another month. That is, there is provided a user interfacethat can seamlessly display days, months, and years by scrollingoperations.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing transitions of a display screenaccording to the embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment ofthe present invention will be described in the case where a mouse havingat least two buttons (a left button and a right button) is assumed as anexample of the operation receiving unit 170.

FIG. 3A shows the case where the year display screen 510, the monthdisplay screen 520, the day display screen 530, and a content displayscreen 540 are displayed on the same screen (window display screen).When the left button of the mouse is pressed while the cursor ispositioned on a specific month area on the year display screen 510, thatis, when the specific month area is left-clicked, the month displayscreen 520 displaying the specific month is displayed. By left-clickingthe mouse while the cursor is positioned on a specific day area on themonth display screen 520, the day display screen 530 displaying thespecific day is displayed. That is, the time-axis range is changed to beexpressed in smaller units by left-clicking.

When the display screen is changed by changing the time-axis range byleft-clicking, the controller 180 updates the display state maintainingunit 190 so as to maintain the new time-axis range and position. Whenthe position to be displayed is changed by scrolling each displayscreen, the controller 180 updates the display state maintaining unit190 so as to maintain the new position.

In contrast, when the right button of the mouse is pressed on the daydisplay screen 530, that is, when the day display screen 530 isright-clicked, the month display screen 520 displaying a month to whichthe day of the day display screen 530 belongs is displayed. Byright-clicking on the month display screen 520, the year display screen510 displaying a year to which the month of the month display screen 520belongs is displayed. That is, the time-axis range is changed to beexpressed in larger units by right-clicking.

When the display screen is changed by changing the time-axis range byright-clicking, the controller 180 reads the display state maintained inthe display state maintaining unit 190 and allows the rendering unit 150to render a new display screen on the basis of the read display state.Also, the controller 180 updates the display state maintaining unit 190so as to maintain the time-axis range of the new display screen.

By left-clicking the mouse while the cursor is positioned on a specificpiece of the thumbnail data 534 on the day display screen 530, thecontent display screen 540 displaying a content file associated withthis specific piece of the thumbnail data 534 is displayed. Byright-clicking on the content display screen 540, the day display screen530 displaying the creation day of the content file is displayed.

FIG. 3B shows the case where the content display screen 540 is displayedon another screen (window display screen). The transition from the yeardisplay screen 510 to the day display screen 530 and the transition fromthe day display screen 530 to the year display screen 510 are the sameas those in FIG. 3A.

By left-clicking the mouse while the cursor is positioned on a specificpiece of the thumbnail data 534 on the day display screen 530, thecontent display screen 540 is displayed as a separate screen displayinga content file associated with this specific piece of the thumbnail data534. At this time, the original day display screen 530 is maintained andremains unchanged.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the year display screen 510 according to theembodiment of the present invention. The year display screen 510includes an area 512 displaying the calendar structure and a calendardisplay area 513 displaying a yearly calendar whose time-axis range isexpressed in units of years.

In the area 512, the number of the corresponding content files createdper year is displayed, and additionally the number of content filescreated per month may be displayed. When a creation year is selected inthe area 512, a yearly calendar of that year is displayed in thecalendar display area 513. In this example, the yearly calendar isdivided into months from January to December, and each month is furtherdivided into days arranged horizontally according to the days of theweek. In each day, the thumbnail data 514 representing that creation dayis rendered.

A scroll bar 516 is displayed on the right side of the calendar displayarea 513. Since the yearly calendar is continuous over years, a calendarof another year can be displayed seamlessly by operating the scroll bar516.

A year display bar 515 is displayed on the left side of the scroll bar516. The year displayed in the calendar display area 513 is indicated atthe center of the year display bar 515. The previous year is indicatedat the top of the year display bar 515, and the subsequent year isindicated at the bottom of the year display bar 515. Since the yearlycalendar is continuous over years, the year display bar 515 is providedto clearly indicate the currently displayed year.

Depending on the display mode of the calendar display area 513, aplurality of years may be displayed on the same screen. In that case, ayear with the largest display area among the years may be regarded as acore year, and this year may be displayed at the center of the yeardisplay bar 515. In this case, the years other than the core year may berendered as inactive and grayed out using, for example, a lighter color.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the month display screen 520 according to theembodiment of the present invention. The month display screen 520includes an area 522 displaying the calendar structure and a calendardisplay area 523 displaying a monthly calendar whose time-axis range isexpressed in units of months.

In the area 522, the number of the corresponding content files createdper year is displayed, and additionally the number of content filescreated per month may be displayed. When a creation month is selected inthe area 522, a monthly calendar of that month is displayed in thecalendar display area 523. In this example, the calendar of September isdisplayed in which the days from Sunday to Saturday are arrangedhorizontally. The monthly calendar is divided into days from the firstto the thirtieth day. In each day, the thumbnail data 524 representingthat creation day is rendered.

A scroll bar 526 is displayed on the right side of the calendar displayarea 523. Since the monthly calendar is continuous over months, acalendar of another month can be displayed seamlessly by operating thescroll bar 526.

A month display bar 525 is displayed on the left side of the scroll bar526. The month displayed in the calendar display area 523 is indicatedat the center of the month display bar 525. The previous month isindicated at the top of the month display bar 525, and the subsequentmonth is indicated at the bottom of the month display bar 525. Since themonthly calendar is continuous over months, the month display bar 525 isprovided to clearly indicate the currently displayed month.

Depending on the day of the week, a plurality of months may be displayedon the same screen. In that case, a month with the largest display areaamong the months may be regarded as a core month, and this month may bedisplayed at the center of the month display bar 525. In this case, themonths other than the core month may be rendered as inactive using alighter color.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the day display screen 530 according to theembodiment of the present invention. The day display screen 530 includesan area 532 displaying the calendar structure and a calendar displayarea 533 displaying a daily calendar whose time-axis range is expressedin units of days.

In the area 532, the number of the corresponding content files createdper year is displayed, and additionally the number of content filescreated per month may be displayed. As a modification, the number ofcontent files created per day may additionally be displayed.

In the calendar display area 533, each day is divided into time slots inunits of hours, and the thumbnail data 534 is rendered at a positioncorresponding to the creation time of the associated content file. Inthis example, the creation time is displayed below the thumbnail data534.

A scroll bar 536 is displayed on the right side of the calendar displayarea 533. Since the daily calendar is continuous over days, a calendarof another day can be displayed seamlessly by operating the scroll bar536.

However, when a day on which no content files are created is displayed,it becomes necessary to continuously scroll the calendar having nothumbnail data 534. In this example, this problem is solved by omittingdays on which no content files are created from the calendar displayarea 533. In this case, when a specific day is left-clicked on the monthdisplay screen 520, there may be no content files whose creation daycorresponds to the specific day. In such a case, a day on which acontent file is created and which is closest to the specific day may bedisplayed on the day display screen 530. Specifically, a temporallyfuture day, namely, a temporally new day, may be selected as the closestday.

In contrast, when the creation days of content files are continuous inunits of days, it may be estimated that a certain event (e.g., a trip)has taken place over a plurality of days. Preferably, these contentfiles within a continuous range may be organized into a group. A label537 indicating the start day is displayed at the beginning of the group,and a label 538 indicating the last day is displayed at the end of thegroup. The labels 537 and 538 may be colored if necessary. For example,a label on Saturday may be colored blue, and a label on Sunday may becolored red.

A day display bar 535 is displayed on the left side of the scroll bar536. The day displayed in the calendar display area 533 is indicated atthe center of the day display bar 535. The previous day is indicated atthe top of the day display bar 535, and the next day is indicated at thebottom of the day display bar 535. Since the daily calendar iscontinuous over days, the day display bar 535 is provided to clearlyindicate the currently displayed day. The previous day and the next dayare, as has been described above, days from which those on which nocontent files are created are omitted.

In the case where a plurality of days is displayed on the same screen,the day with the largest display area among the days may be regarded asa core day, and this day may be displayed at the center of the daydisplay bar 535. In this case, the days other than the core day may berendered as inactive using a lighter color.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the content display screen 540 according tothe embodiment of the present invention. The content display screen 540includes an area 542 displaying thumbnail data and a content fileplaying/displaying area 543.

When a specific piece of thumbnail data is selected in the area 542, animage to be displayed is rendered in the area 543 from the content filecorresponding to the selected thumbnail data. In the area 542, pieces ofthumbnail data belonging to the above-described group may be arranged,and a target piece of thumbnail data to be played/displayed may beselected from the group.

The content file displayed in the area 543 may be enlarged or reduced insize using a group of tools provided above the area 543.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a displayed tool tip according to theembodiment of the present invention. When a cursor 517 is moved to aspecific month in the calendar display area 513 of the year displayscreen 510, the specific month and the number of content files createdin that specific month are displayed as a tool tip 518. The tool tip 518may be displayed for a short time (a few seconds to ten seconds) or maybe continuously displayed until the cursor 517 is moved again.

FIG. 9 shows another example of the displayed tool tip according to theembodiment of the present invention. When a cursor 527 is moved to aspecific day in the calendar display area 523 of the month displayscreen 520, the specific day and the number of content files created onthat specific day are displayed as a tool tip 528. The time during whichthe tool tip 528 is displayed is similar to that of the tool tip 518.

FIGS. 10A to 10C show examples of displayed information superimposed onthe calendar according to the embodiment of the present invention. Inthe embodiment of the present invention, each calendar is continuousover days, months, or years. It thus may be difficult to detect thecurrent display position during scrolling. In the embodiment of thepresent invention, information about a core unit (in accordance with theunits of the time-axis range) is superimposed and displayed on thecalendar when the calendar crosses the unit boundary of the time-axisrange during scrolling.

FIG. 10A shows an example of the year display screen 510. In thisexample, when the calendar crosses the year boundary during scrolling, acore year and the number of content files created in that core year arerendered as information 519 to be superimposed and displayed on thecalendar.

FIG. 10B shows an example of the month display screen 520. In thisexample, when the calendar crosses the month boundary during scrolling,a core month and the number of content files created in that core monthare displayed as information 529 to be superimposed and displayed on thecalendar.

FIG. 10C shows an example of the day display screen 530. In thisexample, when the calendar crosses the day boundary during scrolling, acore day and the number of content files created on that core day aredisplayed as information 539 to be superimposed and displayed on thecalendar.

The pieces of information 519, 529, and 539 may be temporarily displayedfor a short period of time (a few seconds to ten seconds) or may becontinuously displayed until the calendar crosses the boundary again.

The operation of the file management apparatus according to theembodiment of the present invention will be described with reference tothe drawings.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an exemplary process performed by the filemanagement apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentinvention. In this case, one of the year display screen 510, the monthdisplay screen 520, and the day display screen 530 is displayedinitially (step S901).

When the operation receiving unit 170 receives an operation to switchthe time-axis range, the controller 180 switches the display screen inaccordance with the display state in the display state maintaining unit190 (step S910). When the operation receiving unit 170 receives ascrolling operation, the controller 180 scrolls the screen (step S930).When the operation receiving unit 170 receives an operation to move thecursor, the controller 180 moves the cursor (step S940).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an exemplary display switching process (stepS910) according to the embodiment of the present invention. When theoperation received by the operation receiving unit 170 is left-clicking(step S911), the controller 180 refers to the time-axis range of thedisplay state in the display state maintaining unit 190 and determineswhether the current display screen is the year display screen 510, themonth display screen 520, or the day display screen 530 (steps S912,S914, and S916).

When the current display screen is the year display screen 510 (stepS912), the controller 180 allows the rendering unit 150 to render themonth display screen 520 displaying a month selected by left-clicking(step S913). At this time, the controller 180 allows the obtaining unit140 to obtain necessary calendar information and thumbnail data from thecalendar information storage device 130 and the thumbnail data storagedevice 120, respectively. Also, the controller 180 updates the displaystate maintaining unit 190 so that the time-axis range is expressed inunits of months.

When the current display screen is the month display screen 520 (stepS914), the controller 180 allows the rendering unit 150 to render theday display screen 530 displaying a day selected by left-clicking (stepS915). At this time, the controller 180 allows the obtaining unit 140 toobtain necessary calendar information and thumbnail data from thecalendar information storage device 130 and the thumbnail data storagedevice 120, respectively. Also the controller 180 updates the displaystate maintaining unit 190 so that the time-axis range is expressed inunits of days.

When the current display screen is the day display screen 530 (stepS916), the controller 180 allows the rendering unit 150 to render thecontent display screen 540 displaying a content file corresponding to athumbnail image selected by left-clicking (step S917). At this time, thecontroller 180 allows the obtaining unit 140 to obtain the necessarycontent file from the content file storage device 110.

When the operation received by the operation receiving unit 170 isright-clicking (step S921), the controller 180 refers to the time-axisrange of the display state in the display state maintaining unit 190 anddetermines whether the current display screen is the month displayscreen 520, the day display screen 530, or the content display screen540 (steps S922, S924, and S926).

When the current display screen is the month display screen 520 (stepS922), the controller 180 allows the rendering unit 150 to render theyear display screen 510 displaying a year indicated by the display statein the display state maintaining unit 190 (step S923). At this time, thecontroller 180 allows the obtaining unit 140 to obtain necessarycalendar information and thumbnail data from the calendar informationstorage device 130 and the thumbnail data storage device 120,respectively. Also the controller 180 updates the display statemaintaining unit 190 so that the time-axis range is expressed in unitsof years.

When the current display screen is the day display screen 530 (stepS924), the controller 180 allows the rendering unit 150 to render themonth display screen 520 displaying a month indicated by the displaystate in the display state maintaining unit 190 (step S925). At thistime, the controller 180 allows the obtaining unit 140 to obtainnecessary calendar information and thumbnail data from the calendarinformation storage device 130 and the thumbnail data storage device120, respectively. Also the controller 180 updates the display statemaintaining unit 190 so that the time-axis range is expressed in unitsof months.

In the case of the exemplary transition shown in FIG. 3A, when thecurrent display screen is the content display screen 540 (step S916),the controller 180 allows the rendering unit 150 to render the daydisplay screen 530 indicating a day indicated by the display state inthe display state maintaining unit 190 (step S927). At this time, thecontroller 180 allows the obtaining unit 140 to obtain necessarycalendar information and thumbnail data from the calendar informationstorage device 130 and the thumbnail data storage device 120,respectively. Also the controller 180 updates the display statemaintaining unit 190 so that the time-axis range is expressed in unitsof days.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an exemplary scrolling process (stepS930) according to the embodiment of the present invention. When theoperation received by the operation receiving unit 170 is scrolling(step S931), the controller 180 instructs the rendering unit 150 toscroll the display screen (step S932). At this time, the controller 180updates the display state maintaining unit 190 so that the positionincluded in the display state indicates the scrolled position.

When the calendar crosses the unit boundary of the time-axis rangeduring scrolling (step S933), that is, when the year display screen 510crosses the year boundary, when the month display screen 520 crosses themonth boundary, or when the day display screen 530 crosses the dayboundary, the controller 180 allows the rendering unit 150 to renderunits other than the new core unit (specific year, month, or day) asinactive (e.g., grayed out) (step S934). At the same time, thecontroller 180 allows the rendering unit 150 to render information to besuperimposed and displayed on the calendar, as has been described withreference to FIGS. 10A to 10C (step S935). That is, the controller 180allows the obtaining unit 140 to obtain information about the new coreunit from the thumbnail data storage device 120 and, on the basis of theobtained information, allows the rendering unit 150 to renderinformation to be superimposed and displayed on the calendar.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of an exemplary cursor moving process (step S940)according to the embodiment of the present invention. When the operationreceived by the operation receiving unit 170 is a cursor movingoperation (step S941), the controller 180 allows the rendering unit 150to move the cursor (step S942).

When the cursor is moved over one of the units of the time-axis range onthe display screen (step S943), the controller 180 instructs therendering unit 150 to render information about that unit as a tool tip,as has been described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 (step S944).

According to the embodiment of the present invention, there is provideda user interface that can seamlessly display a calendar over days,months, and years by scrolling the screen with any of the time-axisranges using the operation receiving unit 170. By maintaining thecurrent display state in the display state maintaining unit 190, when aninstruction is given to change the time-axis range, the changedtime-axis range and the current position can be detected, and thetime-axis range can be switched while maintaining the current position.

The embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of exampleto realize the present invention. Although there is a correspondencebetween the embodiment and the features of the claims, which will bedescribed below, the present invention is not limited thereto, andvarious modifications can be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention.

That is, according to an embodiment of the present invention,representative image storage means corresponds to, for example, thethumbnail data storage device 120. Rendering means corresponds to, forexample, the rendering unit 150. Display state maintaining meanscorresponds to, for example, the display state maintaining unit 190.Operation receiving means corresponds to, for example, the operationreceiving unit 170. Control means corresponds to, for example, thecontroller 180.

A first clicking operation corresponds to, for example, a left-clickingoperation. A second clicking operation corresponds to, for example, aright-clicking operation.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, representativeimage storage means corresponds to, for example, the thumbnail datastorage device 120. Rendering means corresponds to, for example, therendering unit 150. Display state maintaining means corresponds to, forexample, the display state maintaining unit 190. Operation receivingmeans corresponds to, for example, the operation receiving unit 170.Control means corresponds to, for example, the controller 180. Displaymeans corresponds to, for example, the display unit 160.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, renderingrepresentative image data of each of a plurality of content files at aposition corresponding to a creation time of the content file with acalendar continuous over days, months, and years serving as a backgroundcorresponds to, for example, step S901. Receiving a change operation tochange a time-axis range of the calendar being displayed and a positionthereof, the change operation commonly being a scrolling operation in atime-series direction in any time-axis range, corresponds to, forexample, steps S911, S921, and S931. Switching, when the changeoperation is a first clicking operation, the time-axis range so that thetime-axis range is expressed at the position in smaller unitscorresponds to, for example, steps S913, S915, and S917. Switching, whenthe change operation is a second clicking operation, the time-axis rangeso that the time-axis range is expressed at the position in larger unitscorresponds to, for example, steps S923, S925, and S927.

The processes described in the embodiment of the present invention maybe considered as a method having the series of processes or may beconsidered as a program for allowing a computer to execute the series ofprocesses or as a recording medium having the program recorded thereon.

1. A file management apparatus comprising: representative image storagemeans for storing representative image data of each of a plurality ofcontent files in association with a creation time of the content file;rendering means for rendering the representative image data at aposition corresponding to the creation time with a calendar continuousover days, months, and years serving as a background; display statemaintaining means for maintaining, as a display state, a time-axis rangeof the calendar being displayed and the position, the time-axis rangebeing expressed in first units; operation receiving means for receivinga change operation to change the display state, the change operationincluding a common scrolling operation in a time-series direction in anytime-axis range, a first clicking operation, and a second clickingoperation, the operation receiving means including a first button and asecond button, the first button implementing the first clickingoperation, and the second button implementing the second clickingoperation; and control means for controlling, in response to the changeoperation, the rendering means to render the representative image dataon the calendar on a basis of the display state, wherein when theoperation receiving means receives the first clicking operation from thefirst button, the control means switches the time-axis range to beexpressed in second units that are shorter in time than the first units,and thereafter when the operation receiving means receives the secondclicking operation from the second button, the control means switchesback the time-axis range to be expressed in the first units, and thedisplay state maintaining means maintains the position when switchingthe time-axis range.
 2. The file management apparatus according to claim1, wherein the first and second units are expressed in one of days,months, or years.
 3. The file management apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the rendering means renders an image indicating the first unitsin accordance with the first units of the time-axis range.
 4. The filemanagement apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rendering meansrenders units other than a core unit as inactive in accordance with thefirst units of the time-axis range.
 5. The file management apparatusaccording to claim 4, wherein the core unit is a unit with a largestdisplay area among the first units.
 6. The file management apparatusaccording to claim 4, wherein the rendering means renders informationabout the core unit when the calendar crosses a boundary of the firstunits of the time-axis range during the scrolling operation.
 7. The filemanagement apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in the case wherethe first units are expressed in units of months, when a day on thecalendar is selected, the control means switches the time-axis range sothat the time-axis range is expressed in the second units of days, andwherein, when the creation time belongs to the selected day, therendering means renders an image indicating the selected day, and, whenthe creation time does not belong to the selected day, the renderingmeans renders an image indicating a closest future day to which thecreation time belongs.
 8. The file management apparatus according toclaim 2, wherein, when the first units are expressed in units of days,the rendering means renders the calendar and the representative imagedata only for a day to which the creation time belongs.
 9. The filemanagement apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when the first unitsare expressed in units of days, the rendering means renders an imageindicating a break point between groups, each group serving as a rangeof continuous days to which the creation times belong.
 10. The filemanagement apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when the first unitsare expressed in units of days, the rendering means renders an image tobe displayed from the content file corresponding to the representativeimage data selected on the calendar.
 11. The file management apparatusaccording to claim 10, wherein the rendering means renders, togetherwith the rendered image, representative image data belonging to a groupserving as a range of continuous days to which the creation timesbelong.
 12. The file management apparatus according to claim 2, whereinthe operation receiving means receives a movement operation to move acursor, and wherein the rendering means renders the cursor in accordancewith the movement operation, and, when the cursor is moved over thefirst units of the time-axis range, the rendering means rendersinformation about the first units.
 13. The file management apparatusaccording to claim 2, wherein the operation receiving means is a mouseincluding the first button and the second button.
 14. An image displayapparatus comprising: representative image storage means for storingrepresentative image data of each of a plurality of content files inassociation with a creation time of the content file; rendering meansfor rendering the representative image data at a position correspondingto the creation time with a calendar continuous over days, months, andyears serving as a background; display state maintaining means formaintaining, as a display state, a time-axis range of the calendar beingdisplayed and the position, the time-axis range being expressed in firstunits; operation receiving means for receiving a change operation tochange the display state, the change operation including a commonscrolling operation in a time-series direction in any time-axis range, afirst clicking operation, and a second clicking operation, the operationreceiving means including a first button and a second button, the firstbutton implementing the first clicking operation, and the second buttonimplementing the second clicking operation; control means forcontrolling, in response to the change operation, the rendering means torender the representative image data on the calendar on a basis of thedisplay state; and display means for displaying details rendered by therendering means, wherein when the operation receiving means receives thefirst clicking operation from the first button, the control meansswitches the time-axis range to be expressed in second units that areshorter in time than the first units, and thereafter when the operationreceiving means receives the second clicking operation from the secondbutton, the control means switches back the time-axis range to beexpressed in the first units, and the display state maintaining meansmaintains the position when switching the time-axis range.
 15. A filemanagement method, implemented on a file management device, comprising:rendering, at the file management device, representative image data ofeach of a plurality of content files at a position corresponding to acreation time of the content file with a calendar continuous over days,months, and years serving as a background; receiving, at the filemanagement device, a change operation to change a time-axis range of thecalendar being displayed and the position, the change operationincluding a common scrolling operation in a time-series direction in anytime-axis range, a first clicking operation, and a second clickingoperation; switching, when the receiving receives the first clickingoperation from a first button of an input device, the time-axis rangefrom a time-axis range expressed at the position in first units to atime-axis range expressed at the position in second units that areshorter in time than the first units; and switching, after switching tothe time-axis range expressed in the second units and when the secondclicking operation is received from a second button of the input device,the time-axis range so that the time-axis range is expressed at theposition in the first units.
 16. A non-transitory computer readablestorage medium encoded with instruction which, when executed by acomputer having a processor, cause the processor to execute a method,said method comprising: rendering representative image data of each of aplurality of content files at a position corresponding to a creationtime of the content file with a calendar continuous over days, months,and years serving as a background; receiving a change operation tochange a time-axis range of the calendar being displayed and theposition, the change operation including a common scrolling operation ina time-series direction in any time-axis range, a first clickingoperation, and a second clicking operation; switching, when thereceiving receives the first clicking operation from a first button ofan input device, the time-axis range from a time-axis range expressed atthe position in first units to a time-axis range expressed at theposition in second units that are shorter in time than the first units;and switching, after switching to the time-axis range expressed in thesecond units and when the second clicking operation is received from asecond button of the input device, the time-axis range so that thetime-axis range is expressed at the position in the first units.
 17. Afile management apparatus comprising: a representative image storagedevice operable to store representative image data of each of aplurality of content files in association with a creation time of thecontent file; a rendering unit operable to render the representativeimage data at a position corresponding to the creation time with acalendar continuous over days, months, and years serving as abackground; a display state maintaining unit operable to maintain, as adisplay state, a time-axis range of the calendar being displayed and theposition, the time-axis range being expressed in first units; anoperation receiving unit operable to receive a change operation tochange the display state, the change operation including a commonscrolling operation in a time-series direction in any time-axis range, afirst clicking operation, and a second clicking operation, the operationreceiving unit including a first button and a second button, the firstbutton implementing the first clicking operation, and the second buttonimplementing the second clicking operation; and a controller operable tocontrol, in response to the change operation, the rendering unit torender the representative image data on the calendar on a basis of thedisplay state, wherein when the operation receiving unit receives thefirst clicking operation from the first button, the controller switchesthe time-axis range to be expressed in second units that are shorter intime than the first units, and thereafter when the operation receivingunit receives the second clicking operation from the second button, thecontroller switches back the time-axis range to be expressed in thefirst units, and the display state maintaining unit maintains theposition when switching the time-axis range.
 18. The file managementapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rendering means renders therepresentative image data for display in a user interface, the controlmeans switches the time-axis range to be expressed in second units thatare shorter in time than the first units, when a selection pointer ispositioned at a predetermined area of the user interface and theoperation receiving means receives the first clicking operation from thefirst button, and the control means switches back the time-axis range tobe expressed in the first units, when the selection pointer ispositioned anywhere within the user interface and the operationreceiving means receives the second clicking operation from the secondbutton.